Arts & Material Culture Finals Notes

Session 7: Begin Tokugawa

  • Part I: Cultural Background
    • Machishū: Wealthy merchants who admired the court, referencing court literature in 17th century Kyoto (miyabi) and modernizing it.
    • Artistic Collaboration: Artisans collaborated, most famously Tawaraya Sōtatsu (painting) and Hon’ami Kōetsu (calligraphy).
    • Development of Printing: Classical texts were printed, reaching a wider audience, enabling references to Heian court culture.
  • Culture in 17th c Kyoto: 6-panel folding screen (Hikone screen) depicts contemporary people (young samurai) enjoying themselves in a brothel, entertained by male and female sex workers, music, and poetry; all very fashionable.
    • Male Geisha identifiable by hairstyle.

New Patrons for Art

  • Wealthy Machishū spent money on paintings depicting casual, party-like themes, including themselves partying in springtime and autumn.

Machi Eshi Town Painters

  • Painted by the ‘last Tosa painter’ with a top view and diagonal lines, depicting streets in a conventional manner.
  • No social segregation depicted.
  • Luxurious goods in Tokyo shown.
  • Sōtatsu, a fan shop owner in Kyoto, simplified motifs due to the small surface, inspiring innovation.

Poetry Competition Between Artisans

  • Depicted a maker of tatami mats and a seller of pillows, reflecting intermingling of social classes.
  • Artisans provided luxurious goods to the court; Empress Tofukumon’in (1607-78) was a key link between warrior, commoner, and court cultures.

Painting Schools Sponsored by Empress Tofukumon’in

  • Elite version of seasonal amusements from the court perspective, co-existing peacefully with commoner versions.

Reception Room in Kyoto Townhouse

  • Art used to show cultural prestige, e.g., samurai placed in front of the screen.

Part II: Modernising Court Classics

  • Town painter Tawaraya Sōtatsu (died 1643), initially painted fans and collaborated with Kōetsu.
  • Hon’ami Kōetsu: Appraised swords for Ashikaga Shoguns, adapted to the Tokugawa peace by focusing on calligraphy.
    • The only commoner in Kyoto revered for calligraphy.
    • Patronized by the court, enabling Sōtatsu to receive commissions.

Key Object 1: Poem sheet with painting by Tawayara Sōtatsu and calligraphy by Kōetsu

  • Poem Sheet (Shikishi): About 20x20 cm, flexible (can be made into a book or scroll), based on excerpts from Tale of Ise.
    • Ariwara no Narihira exiled and writes a poem about Mount Fuji, feeling mono no aware.
    • Calligraphy has a higher status than the painting.
  • New (cultural democratization):
    • In painting, greenish smudges (puddled ink, tarashikomi) add to the design, creating surprise and modernizing the classics.
    • In calligraphy, bold Chinese characters chosen for certain words, such as writing Fuji with the kanji for fu (=not) and ji (=2), creating a gap between bold and gentle characters.
    • Scattered writing (chirashigaki) used.

Poem sheet (shikishi) by Kōetsu and Sōtatsu

  • Design of cherry blossoms maintained on hanging scroll displayed on tokonoma, entire design by cutting out stencils.
  • Bottom corner smudging done in silver paint (now grey due to oxidization).
  • No correlation between the meaning of the painting and poem arguably to startle the audience or because they rushed it.
  • Kōetsu didn’t write his own poetry, used existing court poetry.

Poem by Kamo no Choumei

  • Has another Chinese ‘eye’ character in the middle, making reading difficult influencing our pace of reading it.
  • Kōetsu's style of dramatic calligraphy reproduced by woodblock carvers.
  • Artists could work in different media (printing, painting, calligraphy)

Key Object 2: Hon’ami Kōetsu’s lacquer box

  • Lacquer box overlaid with silver and lead (24x23x12), a writing box that is heavy and square with clashing materials.
  • Lacquer is usually inlaid with pearls or gold.
  • Birds-eye perspective shows boats and a river connected by a temporary bridge (boats with planks on top).
  • Strip of lead used as bridge, characters are on the lead.
    • Poem is a sad poem about a bridge where lovers die.
  • By using rough materials, Kōetsu saying ‘I am not a member of the court’.
  • Main purpose to show off Kōetsu’s wittiness and design.
  • Kōetsu forced into retirement by Tokugawa Shoguns, granted land in 1615 to practice tea ceremony and create Raku tea bowls.

Why is Kyoto still important?

  • 17th century Edo was a cultural backorder until it caught up to Kyoto after 100 years.
  • Machishū patronized by the court and wealthy merchants but needed new audiences so they went to Edo (like Ōgata Kōrin).

Ōgata Kōrin

  • Son of wealthy textile merchants who frequented brothels and spent his money.
  • In his 20s, he was forced to paint for a living and started painting for the Samurai in Edo.

How does Edo differ from Kyoto?

  • Different interest in the classics gave Kōrin more freedom/radicalism.
  • Radical because no poetry and no people.
  • Screens usually placed behind important people.

Key Object 3: Irises at Yatsuhashi screen

  • Gold screen (like the Kano school), by Ōgata Kōrin, uses Kyoto artisan techniques of repetition and stenciling.
  • ‘8 bridges’ = LOTS of irises.
  • Based on the tale of Ise: the exile passed irises in Mikawa province (became mono no aware), composed a poem about longing for his wife in Kyoto.
  • Requires ‘active viewing’ because the viewer is expected to fill in the blanks.

Popularization of court literature in 17th c print culture

  • Printed versions with lots of detail.
  • Printed media created a ‘start canon of themes’ that painters were able to evoke.
    • E.g. Meisho-e (famous places)

Session 8 – Early Modern Japan: Pictures of the Floating World (Ukiyo-e), in 17th Century Kyōto

  • Floating World: World of leisure (brothels, theaters), represented positively, access based on affordability.
  • Tokugawa separated leisure and work by having artists draw leisure activities of the ‘floating world’.
  • 19th c. Edo printed illustrated books advertising the best brothels.
  • Women sold to brothels by parents, educated there, and had to stay for 10 years to pay off debts.
  • Depicted in Ukiyo-E: people and customs of the present
  • The Tokugawa allowed such Ukiyo activities because these places mingle social statuses (which goes against Tokugawa ideals).
    • Tokugawa allowed dedicated districts or entertainment as ‘release’, and to prevent rebellion.
  • Initial customers: samurai and wealthy merchants.
  • Points of these prints:
    • To advertise brothels, get customers in
    • Bijin and Wakashū influenced the fashion sense of the time.
    • Literary allusions to the court, past
    • Cultural affinity between the court and actors and courtesans because both are outside of status groups, both are outside of Confucian values.
  • Kano school doesn’t paint pictures of the present, because they specialize in painting picture of the past.
  • Beautiful people (美人) and Wakashū (若衆, teenage boys)
    • Lots of portraits of beautiful people in pictures of the floating world.
    • Idea of bijin was based on the sex workers, because they were not considered ‘proper people’.
      • Therefore, it was fine to show their faces in public
    • Wakashū based on teenage boys, male equivalent of bijin
      • Also worked as sex workers
      • Depicted as objects of sexual desire.

Popular culture

  • Elegant and vulgar (popular) instruments
    • Elegant
      • Koto
      • Yokohue
    • Vulgar
      • Shamisen
        • 3 strings, played with a plectrum
        • Bottom decorated with dog skin, cat skin, snake skin, etc.
      • Shakuhachi
        • Flute made of bamboo
        • Played by itinerant people (e.g. unemployed samurai)

Key Object 1: Hikone screen

  • 6-panel folding screen showing the interior of a brothel in Kyoto.
  • Trying to make culture coming from common people more refined because the screen was owned by a daimyo.
  • References to court culture
    • BUT new painting: leisure without moral cultivation.
  • People buy pictures of the floating world because they personally! like them, not because they have to ‘fulfil their social status/moral obligations’ (no practical purpose, only enjoyment purpose).

Detail from 6-panel folding screen

  • Wakashū man leaning on sword set the sample for later popular poses (=twisted poses)
  • Literary culture and elegant music ALSO done in the brothels

Bijin and Wakashū

  • Detail from six-fold screen showing the streets of Kyoto in the early 17th c (when Tokugawa had not yet fully established their authority)

  • Shows the world of work and the world of leisure and social classes blending.

  • As Tokugawa established their authority, these kinds of paintings were no longer able to be painted.

    • therefore, paintings dedicated showing places of leisure became popular (e.g. Kawaramono)

  • Kawaramono

    • Riverbed in Kyoto used as a place for showing strange things, freak shows, etc.
      • Dedicated place where people were allowed to do ‘floating’ (= real floating world)

  • Early Kabuki theatre

    • Kabuku originally, dance in weird way.
    • Originally done by women, would imitate men, would do Wakashū.
      • They were outlawed because of this side-hustle.
    • Men (Wakashū) replaced female actors, did cross-dressing.
      • Women in Kabuki were doing ‘erotic dancing’ around the high-ranking courtesans (=tayuu)

  • Picture of Wakashū:

    • Wearing swords of samurai, but also depicted with baby-fat in the face still.

  • Painted by Iwasa Matabei in 17th Kyoto

    • Commoner, but because he had been Tosa painter he felt like the elite.
    • Knew the sex-performers had a tough life, but nevertheless painted images in which ukiyo was a ‘great place’.

  • People at that time generally knew ukiyo-e images were fake.

  • Interested in classical literature, travelled to go to famous places he read about.

    • In pictures idealize their contemporary reality

  • Kanbun era (1661-73)

    • Album leaf depicting a brothel in Kyoto
    • Customers being entertained by the courtesans.

  • Twisted poses

    • Focus on character instead of the background.
    • E.g. the picture of the lady making fun of the Wakashū pose.
      • Lady very fashionable dressed.
      • Supposed to represent Okuni, = lady that started original kabuki
    • People didn’t need background, when they saw people in certain pose they know she was in kabuki stage or brothel.

  • Ukiyo-e, not all details given. Viewer supposed to fill in the details with their knowledge.

  • Images had function of creating image of the floating world that was not really true

    • Image as justification for this lifestyle.

Matsūra screen

  • 17th century, (1,5m x 3,6m)

    • owned by a daimyo of the Hirado domain.
    • Screen huge, women almost life-sized.

  • Lacquer writing box

    • Symbol meaning they are fashionable AND sophisticated.

Key Object 2: Fashionable people in the 17th century

  • Wealthy person would’ve put it in their tokonoma.

  • Faces of bijin and Wakashū look almost the same

    • Similar to how they used to depict court people (no personal features)

  • Bijin: pretending to be shy (when the sleeve is put to the face)

    • Meaning = she is interested in the Wakashū.

  • Shows the value of human emotions (previously marriage only to fulfill your duty, continue the bloodline)

Key Object 3

  • High-ranking courtesan in the 19th century.

  • Writing desk

    • Including writing box
      • Meaning that she is very sophisticated.

  • BUT: she looks really bored/tired. About to drift off to sleep (because her eyes are half-closed).

  • Butterfly

    • Symbol of China.
    • Meaning the courtesan represent a Chinese philosopher (Zhuangzi).
      • Transposing meaning unto courtesan.

Session 9: Early Modern Japan Edo Prints (Edo-e) Part I: History

  • Edo melting pot of different backgrounds, dialects

    • Takes long time (18th c) for Edo to develop own sense of identity

  • Edo-o collaborated effort

  • History about the city of Edo

    • Kyoto: diverse city, rich people live together with poor townspeople
    • Tokugawa attempted to create a city with segregated parts in Edo
      • Therefore, some compounds were reserved for particular status groups.

  • Centre of the city: nihonbashi (and supposed to be the centre of Japan)

  • Hokusai painting about Nihonbashi

    • Feeding into official ideology

  • Nihonbashi bridge in the late 17th c.

    • Also be respectful of the Shogunate

  • Yoshiwara pleasure quarters

    • Also financially fine because they paid taxes.

Part II: Edo-e

  • Okumura Masanobu – large perspective of the interior of Echigo-ya in Suruga-chou (1745)

    • Woodblock print
    • Very simple colours (yellow and red)
      • To create interest, NOT colour BUT marketed as ‘floating-print’
    • Print possibly commissioned by shop owners, pretty much a commercial.
    • Okumura is also the publisher, unapologetically sells himself.

  • Okumura Masanobu – Original perspective picture: an elegant brazier as the bell of hell

    • Perspective is all over the place
      • BUT used as reason to make Edo-e interesting
    • About story that dates back to Kamakura period.

  • Subject matter of Edo-e quite limited

  • Okumura Masanobu – Picture of the great gate and naka-no chou in shin-yoshiwara

    • Courtesans not allowed to leave the pleasure courters.

  • Kabuki theatre

    • Edo-e very important of highlighting the main act of the performance.

  • Key Object 1: Ichikawa Danjuro V in a Shibaraku scene (1788, Katsukawa Shunshou)

    • Fan portrait

  • Danjuro trying to look intimidating

Nishiki-e: full-colour prints

  • Full-colour prints started in late 1760s

  • Suzuki Harunobu – Refashioning (mitate) of the Noh Play Aridoushi, 1765-70

    • Painting of famous lady named Kasamori Osen from Kagiya Teahouse
    • 2 layers of modern story, AND historical story
      • Early Heian story, about poet who went back to Kyoto, and passed a shrine without paying respects due to bad weather.

  • Ukiyo-e would promote pretty people, but also pretty places.

Key Object 2: The Great Wave off Kanagawa

  • Designed by Hokusai

  • Prints do not show what is actually there

    • Show idealized vision (nicer than what it actually is)

  • Quite special, in that it doesn’t show any people or place, but Mt. Fuji instead.

Part III: Guest Lecture (Not asked on the exam)

  • Marks

    • Publisher and artists name on the print

  • Japanese print production process

    • What kinds of images would be sold?
      • Geisha
      • Sumo
      • Pretty places
      • Interesting stories
    • Secret to multicolour painting
      • Each block of wood has a marker, on which the paper is laid.
      • Mixing of paint done on the block of wood itself with a brush
    • Lots of applied pressure necessary to make the print.

  • The appreciation of Japanese prints

    • Value based on (1) artist, (2) series, (3) rarity/desirability (trends), (4) colour and impression, (5) restoration, (6) margins intact, (7) paper damage

Unique and rare prints (rare printing techniques)

  • Blind printing/embossing (creating relief)
  • Mica powder
  • Paint splattering
  • Baren
  • Black overprinting
  • Back printing

Session 10: Modern Japan

  • Meiji period (1868-1912)

  • Meiji state has strong opinions about the role of art for the nation.

  • Bifurcated modernity

    • West as standard, therefore Japan does not challenge the West.

  • Changing role of art

Part I: Bifurcation of Japanese Modern Art

  • Western people preferred nihonga, because they found yōga to not be unique.

  • Ideas about making Japanese painting modern and putting them into practise

  • Representing the nation through art

    • Art of the nation now represented through national museums

Representing Japan to the World through Applied Arts

  • West liked Japan to be distinctively Japanese, did not like Western-style modern art.

Yōga

  • View under the Hazy Moon at Takanawa (1879)
    • Symbolized civilization mission.

Key Object 1: Western-style painting (1874)

  • Oil painting, and painting on canvas

  • Tried to emphasize how useful Yōga is for documenting technological process.

Salmon

  • By Takahashi Yuichi

  • Takahashi Yuichi: Oiran (Portrait of Koine)

  • Response to what was going on in Europe at that time.

Yōga: Old school (kyūha) painting based on the barbizon school

  • Fontanesi’s student: Asai Chu
    • Tried to ‘update’ Western painting

Part II: What Makes Japanese Painting Modern

  • Revision
    • Meiji
      • Art addresses to the general public
      • Art produced for museum galleries, public exhibitions, etc.

Key Object 2: Japanese-style painting (1887)

  • Hashimoto Gahō

    • Nihonga not merely based on Kano School.

  • Ernest Fenollosa

    • Very influential in early stages of Japanese art history
      • BUT: very orientalist.

  • Kutsugen

    • By Yokoyama Taikan
    • Yōga allowed to be taught in 1898:
      • Okukura making his stance, saying how Yōga should not be taught.

  • 1890s: Kuroda Seiki

  • Kuroda Seiki: morning toilette (1893)

  • Kuroda Seiki: Lakeside (1897)

Key Object 3: Kuroda Seiki: Adapting the Nude to the Japanese Context

  • Typically mostly Yōga painters that rebelled.

Key Object 4: Ideal Painting and the Female Figure

  • Uemura Shouen

    • ONLY this painting falls out of the idea of Nihonga.

  • Idea that Nihonga must always be beautiful/collected/calm is still reflected today.

  • Kimura Ryouko, boys paradise

Session 11: Contemporary Japanese Art

  • Introduction

    • Everything that is post-2nd WW is considered contemporary.

  • Art and identity (1980s)

  • Teraoka Masami produced prints based on ukiyo-e

  • Art and identity (1990s)

Part II: Case Studies

  • Yoshitomo Nara, Ocean Child

  • Yoshitomo Nara, 123 Drumming girls

  • Takashi Murakami, plastic figures packaged with gum, brochures

  • Gathering attention in the West

Key Object 1: Murakami Takahashi, 727

Lineage of eccentrics

  • Murakami puts himself into the lineage of ‘eccentric artists’
  • Soga Shohaku, ‘Dragon and clouds’

Key Object 2: Murakami, Dragon on clouds

Key Object 3: Team Lab, ‘Nirvana’

  • Took Nirvana painting into digital projection.

Key Object 4: Yayoi Kusama, ‘Yellow Pumpkin’

  • Suffered from hallucinations

Niigata, Echigo-Tsumari art festival

  • Niigata struggling with depopulation in the 90s, therefore the art festival was hosted to counter the problem.

  • Key values of the festival: social aspect, repopulation, harmony with nature